AS part of Southend Hospital’s aim to be the home of Essex’s first hyper acute stroke unit, it has produced a new recruitment video to highlight how all the different teams work together to deliver the best for patients.

The video features a series of talking heads giving their own perspective of what they bring to the team and what they get out of being part of the dedicated stroke team at Southend.

Featured staff include the stroke ward manager, a speech and language therapist, a radiographer, nurse, physiotherapist and occupational therapist.

To enable the existing stroke unit to become a hyper acute stroke unit – which will be a first for the region – the hospital is creating more stroke staff positions.

One of those featured talking about her job is nurse, Ellie McKeaver.

She has been working on the stroke unit for 18 months since graduating from her nursing degree at Anglia Ruskin University.

The hospital is currently recruiting eight registered nurses for the stroke unit.

In the video, Ellie said: “I had a student placement here and really enjoyed it.

“I really like the fact it is acute medicine, but you also have variety and can rotate to rehab and see the journey the patients go on while they are home.”

Dr Paul Guyler, lead stroke consultant at Southend, introduces and ends the video, encouraging people to be part of the hyper acute stroke unit team at the hospital.

He said: “This short video acts as a fantastic introduction to what a dedicated and passionate team we have here at Southend.

“They are a real dynamic bunch and we want to attract the same type of people here for several roles that are currently available. Hopefully, this video will help attract those right people for the job.”

Southend’s stroke unit is looking for eight registered nurses, a band six and seven speech and language therapist, band seven senior occupational therapist and a band six senior occupational therapist.

There will also be a range of other related roles advertised in the near future.

Visit www.southend.nhs.uk/ join-us/hasu/ to see the video and find out more about the stroke team and other roles that will be advertised soon.